Find Your Motivation

“Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you.” ~ Unknown.

I often look at people who have what I call an ‘unnatural’ drive and think…. how do you do it?! They are consistent, energised and make it look effortless! The thing is we are not all that different, and they too have the same struggles, and if they can do it, so can we!

When it comes to goals, aspirations and desires what makes us keep pushing forward? How do you keep motivated? How do you keep your mindset focused?

There is an immediacy in this day and age that doesn’t lend itself to being committed to much. Fast food, instant messages, Google – we can have so many things without having to wait! This is very convenient, but this quick access builds a low tolerance for patience.

The old saying, ‘good things take time’ is true, yet we are becoming hardwired to move at a fast pace and expect instant results. The cold hard reality is that we still need to give the time to work towards our desires – “it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen”. Practise patience.

Ask yourself why you want to achieve your goals, aspirations and desires? Dig deep to find the real reason! Sometimes our ‘goals’ that we are struggling to obtain are what we ‘think’ we need but can misalign with the real ‘desire’ we are searching for.

Ask yourself this; have you ever reached a goal that you actively created and worked toward to find that once obtained you felt unfulfilled, unsatisfied and somewhat disappointed? This is usually because your goals are misaligned with what you truly seek. If you often set yourself goals that are misaligned, you are setting yourself up for some hardship and motivation won’t come easy. Connect within and find your true ‘WHY’.

Some of our goals, aspirations and desires seem unattainable, overwhelming and somewhat frightening. In order to grow and transform into our desires, change is something we need to accept is going to be uncomfortable. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with the long journey ahead, accept where you are right now. Everyone must start somewhere and breaking your goals down at your own pace so you can adjust to change is a great place to start.

Know thyself! Being true to yourself and acknowledging where your strengths and weaknesses lie sets yourself up for serious progress. Looking at your goals as ‘progress’ instead of ‘success’ I feel is key to enabling you to keep moving forward.

We tend to have an all or nothing approach these days, so whenever we stumble, fall or completely lose the plot towards our goals, we tend to throw in the towel and park it in the ‘too hard’ basket.

Start treating yourself with kindness and questions! Accept a bump in the road as it is, just a minor hurdle. Challenge that inner critic who throws you all sorts of undermining, negative and unhelpful remarks with questions:

What led to this struggle?

What do I need at this point in time?

What can I do to refocus on my goal?

If you are searching for motivation remember to practise patience, good things take time; find your real why and align your goals; accept your starting point and that change is uncomfortable; be realistic and adjust to change at your own pace; understand your struggles without judgement.

Don’t strive for perfection, strive for progress and soon each phase of progress will blossom into your desires!